Mad Mad Mad World

Harvard educator, dancehall scholar, blogger, and DJ Wayne Marshall, a/k/a WAYNE AND WAX, drops into the weekly "Beat Research" night at Enormous Room to spin a bit of history: his DJ set will trace a single pattern, the "Mad Mad" riddim, from its first appearance - Alton Ellis's 1967 Studio One-produced "Mad Mad Mad" - through more than three decades of reggae, dancehall, hip-hop, and reggaeton offshoots. Check Camille Dodero's interview with Marshall here, or just show up at Enormous Room, 567 Mass Ave, Cambridge 617.491.5550.

Wayne was also scheduled to show up this week in David Day's debut "Circuits" column, which covers local happenings in the electronic-music, dance-music, DJ, and club scenes. But we had to cut that part out because, well, shit like that happens sometimes at newspapers. So, to pass along and also second David's unpublished recommendation, you should really read Wayne's blog as much as possible. It's some of the smartest writing you'll read about the Jamaican musical diaspora, but also much more than that. This post is one of the best things we've read on reggaeton, ever.